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Common Offenses
Base Cross
Hawk
Horns
Mid Screen
Power

Side Screen
Triangle Post
UCLA
Zipper

Motion Offenses
Spread Offenses
Zone Offenses

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Most Commonly Used Offenses:

Hawk Offense

| Entries | Basic Reads | Variations | Defense |

The Hawk Offense is a relative of the "UCLA" offense and a derivative of the shuffle offense. Introduced into the NBA by Hubie Brown when he was coaching in Atlanta, thus its name, it has proven to be a very successful offense on all levels of the game. Although the Hawk Offense is primarily designed to take advantage of a size mismatch at the off guard position, it also includes wing isolations and strong post ups options.

Basic Hawk Action.

The basic option of the Hawk offense is the off guard's rub cut off a high post screen. The point guard initiates the action with dribble penetration to the wing as the high post sets a back screen for the off guard.

  1. POINT ISOLATION: The point guard has the option of turning the corner for a drive to the basket whenever he feels he can beat his defender one-on-one.

  2. HIGH POST RUB: The point guard O1 looks to feed O2 making a basket cut off O4’s high post screen or posting up against a smaller or weaker defender. Should the defender get hung up on O4’s high post screen or trail O2 it will certainly result in an easy lay up.

  3. BALL REVERSAL: If O1 cannot feed O2 inside, O1 then looks to make a reversal pass out to O4 stepping out to initiate weakside, post isolation action. As O4 receives the ball, post O5 flashes to the middle for a Hi/Lo pass from O4. When O5’s defender X5 overplays the Hi/Lo pass, O4 passes to wing O3 who in turn will feed O5 rolling to the basket against the defensive overplay.

  4. CONTINUNITY: Most teams flow into a motion or passing game continuity.

Counters vs. Defensive Overplay: Should the defense try to disrupt ball reversal by overplaying and denying the passing lane to the high post, the high post has the options of cutting to the basket or exchanging positions with O5 by setting a down screen.

  1. BACK CUT vs the Overplay.

  2. POST EXCHANGE Counter

Basic Hawk Action: Hawk Left Side Entry

High Post Screening Fundamentals & Execution

Hawk Offense: Basic Reads & Counters

The keys to the success of the Hawk’s high post rub cut is execution and coordination. The cutter, screener and the passer have to think and function as one unit. This requires proper footwork, timing, non-verbal communication, and experience. Players should be prepared to recognize and attack the following situations:

Defensive Reads: What if the ....

  1. Ball handler can BEAT DEFENDER on wing dribble penetration.

    Weakside defender SAGS OFF to help on drive.

  2. Defensive player CHASES OVER the high post screen.

  3. Defensive player GOES UNDER the screen.

  4. Defensive players SWITCH on the screen.

    Smaller defender is MISMATCHED INSIDE against screener.

    Bigger defender MISMATCHED OUTSIDE against quicker ball handler.

    Defensive players anticipate switch and ZONE on screen.

  5. Defense SHOWS and RECOVERS on screen.

  6. Defense TRAPS on post up.

    Defense TRAPS EARLY on post up.

    Defense TRAPS BALLHANDLER on dribble penetration to wing.

Hawk Offense: Variations

Various NBA teams have adapted the Hawk's basic off guard cut to take advantage of their specific player personnel. Most of these variations are actually secondary options off the shooting guard's high post rub cut. Some of these more frequently used Hawk variations used in the NBA include:

The Case for the Defense:

Defensive strategies and techniques that are used in combating the Hawk Offense.

The Hawk Offense is similar to the "UCLA" Offense in that it involves a guard cutting to the basket off a high post back screen. If the defender gets hung up on the high post screen it will most certainly result in an easy layup. When the off guard is a strong post up player it can presents additional problems for the defense.

  1. Basic Show & Recover

  2. All Out SOS Disruption

  3. Fundamentals: Defending Against the High Post Rub

"More Than Just Stats"
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